


What Your Heart Meant

by Petrichora_Vellichor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, confession of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 19:43:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19012579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petrichora_Vellichor/pseuds/Petrichora_Vellichor
Summary: After barely managing to escape Apocalypseverse Michael, Sam waits for a wounded Gabriel to wake up.





	What Your Heart Meant

Sam snapped awake just in time to keep from falling out of the chair. He swore under his breath as he steadied himself, gaze flickering instinctively to the figure that lay motionless on the bed.

“Sorry,” murmured Sam, “didn’t mean to nod off on you.” He didn’t know if Gabriel could hear him, but it felt wrong to just ignore him...particularly when there was so much Sam wanted to say. For the moment, however, he had to content himself with scooting the chair just a little bit closer to the edge of the mattress and resuming his vigil as the events of ten hours prior replayed in his head...

***

Michael had made quick work of Lucifer. He'd stabbed him in the abdomen and smiled as Lucifer’s eyes blazed white and his lifeless body crumpled to the ground. Then he knelt briefly to wipe his blade on his dead brother’s shirt, attention shifting to Sam and Dean and…

“Can it be?” Michael stood, and his smug expression faltered slightly. “Gabriel?”

 _Oh crap_ , thought Sam. He turned to tell Dean and Gabriel that they had to go, _now_ , only to find the Gabriel regarding him with a look of pained determination. 

“Go,” Gabriel said, voice low and urgent. He tilted his head in the direction of the rift. “I can buy some time.”

Sam felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. _What?! No. No no no…_ “Gabriel,” he managed, and something was wrong with his throat, because his voice sounded raw and rough. Without meaning to, he took a step forward. “Don’t—”

“All I did on Earth was run.” Gabriel’s hazel eyes shimmered in the dying light. “I’m not running anymore.” He turned to Dean, lips quirking upward in an attempt at a smile. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.” 

Dean sucked in a breath, clearly recognizing the words he’d snarled at Gabriel all those years ago when they'd left the archangel in a ring of holy fire. Before Dean could respond, though, Gabriel returned his attention to Sam, and his smile faltered. 

“Sorry, Sam,” he said quietly. He turned and started to walk away, and something inside Sam _snapped_. 

“No!” Before Sam knew what he was doing, he’d closed the distance between them, fist tangling in Gabriel’s jacket. Gabriel looked at him, stunned, and Sam threw caution to the wind. He willed every bit of everything he’d ever felt for Gabriel to the surface, thoughts blaring like a horn before battle. “Gabe, no, you can’t, I—” 

Gabriel yanked Sam down by his collar and kissed him. Their lips crashed together with such intensity that Sam suddenly understood how stars felt when they supernovaed, collapsing inward and then exploding in a burst of brilliant color. He kissed Gabriel back as though it were the only thing that mattered, as if they were the only two beings left in the—

_WHAM!_

Michael's shockwave barreled into them with the force of a charging bull. Sam landed hard on the ground several feet away, gasping at the shadows that swam across his vision. He only dimly registered his brother's frantic yells as Dean heaved him to his feet, slinging one of Sam’s arms over his shoulder and pulling him in the direction of the rift. Behind them, blades clashed like thunder...and then didn’t…

“No,” grunted Sam. He dug in his heels. “No, not without—”

“Dammit, Sammy, we gotta go!”

 _“No!”_ And before Dean could stop him, Sam had freed himself and was running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

Michael had disarmed Gabriel and had him by the throat. A silvery stream of grace flowed from a gash in Gabriel’s neck straight into Michael’s mouth; within seconds, the stream was gone. Michael flung Gabriel to the ground, sneering as the latter groaned in pain. “You were always the weakest of us, always willing to abandon Heaven to run around with these hairless apes.” He knelt down, snatching Gabriel by the hair and jerking his head upward. “Well, brother, if you love them so much, then you can die as one of them.” He raised his blade…

Sam crashed into Michael, catching him by surprise and sending them both toppling to the ground. He drew back his fist and punched Michael as hard as he could, crying out as his fist connected with what felt like a brick wall. A split second later Michael's fist smashed into his nose, sending him flying backward in a shower of blood. Then Michael’s hands were around his neck, squeezing and choking and—

Dean appeared out of nowhere, throwing himself on top of Michael with a deafening roar and driving Gabriel’s discarded blade into the back of Michael's neck. Michael howled with fury, releasing Sam and falling backward to wrestle with Dean, whom he quickly pinned to the ground.

“You...fucking...maggots,” spat Michael. “You think something like _you_ can kill someone like _me_?” He let out a feral laugh, reaching back and yanking out the archangel blade Dean had stabbed him with. “Don’t you know we can only be killed by one of our own, and not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m the last one standing." He raised the blade. "I’m not the one who’s dying today.”

“Maybe not,” yelled Sam, and Michael's eyes snapped over to glare, then widened in shock, “but neither are we!” And before Michael could fully get out his scream of fury, Sam slammed his hand down onto the blood-drawn banishing sigil, blasting Michael away in a burst of brilliant white light.

***

Back at the bunker, Sam watched as Gabriel’s chest continued its slow rise and fall. He and Dean had managed to carry the unconscious archangel-turned-human back through the rift, and Cas had immediately set to work healing them all, but though the angel had been able to mend Sam’s hand and nose, his attempts at rousing Gabriel had proven futile.

“This isn’t something I can fix,” he’d informed them sadly after his third try. “I’m afraid the only thing we can do is wait and see if he wakes up.”

And so they’d laid Gabriel down in the spare bedroom he’d been using, and Sam had brought in a chair to wait. Either Dean or Cas had checked in every hour or so, but with all of the new hunters they’d rescued from the apocalypse universe now filling the bunker and itching to explore their brave new world, both were needed elsewhere, especially since there was nothing else they could do for Gabriel at the moment.

 _Not that there’s anything_ I _can do,_ thought Sam bitterly, and God, what an absolutely novel feeling _that_ was, watching helplessly as someone he cared about suffered. It was times like this that Sam couldn’t help but think the universe hated him, that he was nothing more than the punchline of some cosmic joke, the idiot who let himself fall in love only to have his heart crushed over and over and _over_ again. Hadn’t he given enough? Was it so much to ask that he be allowed to keep something, someone, for himself, just once, and be happy? 

“Death can’t have you,” he whispered. “Not yet, not like this.” He reached out and took Gabriel’s hand. “You don’t get to die today, you hear me? You’re gonna wake up, and we’re gonna talk, and somehow, I’m gonna convince you to stay. But, Gabe, you’ve gotta wake up.” He hesitated, then raised Gabriel’s hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss into the palm. “Please, just...just wake up.”

No sooner had Sam spoken than Gabriel shifted, letting out a low groan. A moment later, his eyes were fluttering open, head tilting slightly on the pillow as he blinked up at the figure next to him. “Sam?”

Sam nearly choked on his breath, barely managing a soft “Hey” in return.

Gabriel’s gaze shifted to the hand that Sam was still holding, and he smiled in dazed contentment before snapping suddenly to attention, snatching his hand back and attempting to heave himself up on the bed. “Shit, Michael, I’ve gotta—”

“He’s gone,” said Sam quickly. He placed a steady hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and easing him back down. “We got away, and he’s trapped in the apocalypse universe with no way of getting through. It’s over.”

Gabriel looked up at him with a rare expression of genuine shock. “No shit, really?”

Sam smiled. “Yeah, really.”

“Well I’ll be Dad-damned,” said Gabriel. He fell back against the pillow with a scoff. “And here I thought I was gonna go out a hero, holding off the big bad while you and your less-attractive older brother beat a hasty retreat. So much for my redemption arc.”

“Gabe, about what happened,” said Sam, and oh God, he was terrified of where this conversation was going to go, “I just...I want you to know that I...that if _this_ ,” he gestured between the two of them, “is something you want, that I want it too. And if you don’t…” Sam’s heart clenched painfully in his chest, but he forced himself to continue, “and if you don’t, then...then I hope we can be friends.”

Gabriel looked at him as though he’d grown an additional head. He sat up again, slowly this time, scooting over on the mattress until he and Sam were only inches apart. “And here I always thought you were the smart one,” he said, shaking his head, lips twitching in an amused smile. “Don’t you get it, you big doof? I’ve wanted you for years, and now that we’ve finally sorted out all of my interdimensional family drama, I’m gonna be on you like gum on a shoe. Not even wild hellhounds could drag me away.” He cocked an eyebrow, smile widening. “Also, if I’m gonna be slumming it human-style on a permanent basis, I’m gonna need someone to bring me cakes and cookies and the like, so tag, sugar, you’re it.”

Sam chuckled. "Deal," he said, and pulled Gabriel in for a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr version of this story, if you enjoyed it and feel like sharing. :) [What Your Heart Meant](https://petrichoravellichor.tumblr.com/post/185220358162/lemme-have-sabriel-and-32)
> 
> Kudos and/or comments are also greatly appreciated!


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